The Atchison Phoenix will challenge the Veritas Christian Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a five-game winning streak alive.
Last Thursday, Atchison made easy work of Harmon and carried off a 14-4 win. The Phoenix might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by ten runs or more this season.
Hank Julo looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Kolten Bonnel was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayden Rebant, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Atchison always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Harmon only posted an OBP of .370.
Meanwhile, Veritas Christian sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 victory over Bonner Springs on Saturday.
James Lee made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gavin Oberzan, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bryce Miller, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Atchison's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Veritas Christian, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Atchison beat Veritas Christian 3-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Phoenix have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
